Marlboro schools face Dynegy loss

Tuesday

Jan 29, 2013 at 2:00 AM

MARLBOROUGH — Plans to close two of the Marlboro School District's three elementary schools have been expected for a long time. But they won't come easily or without a lot of angry questions and accusations from frustrated parents and taxpayers.

BY JEREMIAH HORRIGAN

MARLBOROUGH — Plans to close two of the Marlboro School District's three elementary schools have been expected for a long time. But they won't come easily or without a lot of angry questions and accusations from frustrated parents and taxpayers.

The closings, which the school board is expected to vote on and approve early next month, have been forced by the bankruptcy of Dynegy, owner of the two power plants that also have powered the district's tax base for decades.

School Superintendent Ray Castellani has said while the district would save $2 million by closing the Milton and Middlehope schools and merging them with Marlboro Elementary, a total of 31.5 jobs also would be lost. That would include two principals, 13 teachers, 10 support staff and 6.5 custodial and clerical positions. Ten additional employees are expected to be laid off this week as well.

Marlboro Elementary's enrollment would double, with kindergarten through second-grade classes expanding by about 50 percent, from 21 to 31 students per class.

Russell Conley's daughter attends Middlehope Elementary. He also is one of the founders of Marlboro Community Concerns, a group whose membership has rocketed from 100 members late last year to 700-plus now.

As Conley sees it, today's tax base catastrophe has its roots in regulatory changes that were predicted long ago and ignored, then, as now, by school boards and administrators who continued to pour money into questionable projects despite the shrinking tax base.

As an example, he pointed to the 2007 and 2008 tax levies that increased by as much as 50 percent and the school board approved spending nearly $5 million for a new football stadium.

He also accused the district of being top-heavy with administrators whose salaries were higher than surrounding districts.

Conley said the district, with roughly 3,000 students, has as many assistant superintendents as the Newburgh system, which has roughly 13,000 students.

Castellani and school board president Stephen Jennison did not respond to several requests for comment Monday.

Conley said while he supports teachers, Marlboro Community Concerns has sponsored a petition asking teachers to renegotiate their contract to reduce costs.